Beyond Dreaming
by Auditory Eden
Summary: Rukia freezes, and they have a heart to heart. IchiRuki.


Author: Auditory Eden

Rating: K+

Warnings: Mild kissing

Notes: Fluff! Fluff! I'm drowning in fluff!

Beyond the Dreaming

Rukia lies in her closet, excuse me, _Ichigo's_ closet, not sleeping. This is different from not being asleep, because instead of not being able to go to sleep, she is keeping herself awake. It is very, very cold in the closet—actually, it's cold everywhere, but the closet is worse—and she doesn't want to be on the other side of consciousness anyway; her brain has a nasty habit of dancing unwanted scenes before her eyes while also saying, _just remember, you are very very cold_.

She turns over, facing the door. On the other side of that door was the source of her nighttime problems, Kurosaki Ichigo.

It wasn't that she was scared he'd kill her in her sleep—she'd been sleeping quite comfortably in his closet for nearly a year now. No, now her problem was dreams, one in particular, a humiliating little fantasy in which Ichigo did something he never would have done normally. He kissed her.

Now, for most girls of about her age, this would not be much of a problem. He's cute, and even thought he acts all tough, he's really a big softy. But Rukia's never so much as had a boy kiss her on the cheek, let alone the lips.

So the fantasy is humiliating, but if that alone were it, she could deal. It's also the fact that she has liked, as in _liked_ liked, Renji, for a little over six decades. Or she thought so. But never had she had such thoughts about _him_. Just Ichigo, to her utter horror.

And it's still very, _very_ cold. Her teeth start to chatter, and she curls into a ball, trying to contain some of the warmth left in her gigai. Her toes, nose, fingers, and ears are numb, and the blanket isn't helping much, despite the fact that it's made with very thick wool, and is one of the warmest the family owns, donated by Karin, who doesn't need many blankets at night. And she cannot, _cannot_, allow herself to fall asleep. Her toes start to ache with the cold, and she whimpers quietly, biting her lips and clutching her feet with her hands to try and warm them. She thought the sound was inaudible. She thought he was asleep.

"Rukia?" She curses to herself. "Rukia, are you okay?"

She calls back softly, "I'm fine, Ichigo. It's just a bit cold in here..." She thinks he's given up and gone back to sleep, but then her door opens with a _snap_.

Ichigo stands in the relatively small doorway in a Pacman tee-shirt and black pajama bottoms. His hair is mussed and he's squinting. He looks down at Rukia, and takes in the sight of her in all her ice-cube glory. He sighs.

"You're turning blue," he informs her. "Come on, get out of there and warm up." She shakes her head vigorously.

"Ichigo, I'm fine!" The chattering of her teeth gives her away.

He stares at her blearily for a moment, then scoops her up, blanket and all, with one arm, shutting the closet door with the other. Rukia struggles quietly, but relents as warmth from his chest begins to seep into her form. But, still, she thinks, revenge is needed.

She very carefully places one ice-cold hand on the back of his neck, and he jerks and bites back a shocked yell, then glares down at her. Giving him a coy smile, she slips out of his embrace, sitting on the foot of the bed. He grins, and sits next to her, gently taking the blanket and re-wrapping her in it.

She leans against him, and he sags back against the wall, his eyes closing. He looks so peaceful, she thinks. Feeling is slowly creeping back into her extremities, and Rukia feels her own lids droop. She tries, and fails, to keep them open. Sleep begins to steal over her. Her head lolls on his shoulder, and he laughs softly.

Ichigo starts when he hears her call his name.

Very softly, in a sweet voice she rarely ever uses, she murmurs, "I-Ichigo..."

"Rukia?" he answers, but she doesn't respond. He looks down and sees from the softness of her countenance and her deep, slow breathing, that she's out cold. A Cheshire cat grin spreads across his face. _So she dreams of me, does she?_

In Rukia's mind, the kissing is happening. Or rather, the lead up to the kissing. It's always different each time, but today it is after a battle. There's a slice on her arm, and he's wrapping it for her. That in and of itself isn't strange; they both dress each others wounds routinely. In fact, the only time anyone else treats either one is if their both out cold or otherwise incapacitated. That he's gently scolding her isn't odd either, because he usually chastises her when she gets hurt. She does the same for him.

_"Just be more careful, okay?" he says."I—" _

_ "Ichigo, I'm fine." She tries to look reassuring. He laughs, and then draws her to his chest, hugging her. This is strange for him, who doesn't usually engage in any physical contact whatsoever, unless it's in battle or training. Then he whispers in her ear, "Be more careful, because I couldn't stand to loose you..." Then he kisses her, softly, gently. _

_ "Rukia!" She jerks away, confused. _

"Rukia!" Ichigo manages to shake her awake this time, and she glares at him, half-mortified, half-angry. "Don't space out on me."

"Right," she mutters.

"I just don't want to lose you...I couldn't stand to lose you." He peers at her. Her head whips around so quickly he could barely follow the movement. Their faces are only inches apart.

"Ichigo..." her voice is sweet, the same voice that called his name while she was asleep. He leans in, presses his own lips to hers.

Rukia is not sure if she's awake or asleep. This would never happen in real life, but it's certainly too real for dreaming.

Or maybe not.

xXx

Parting Comments: Please don't complain about the ending. It's that way for a reason, which is to say that each and every one of you has to "finish" the scene in your own head, with your own rating, and your own ideas. Then you have to review and tell me what you "saw". I can't wait to find out what each of you thought comes next!

Hugs and Kisses

Eden


End file.
